The Story That Drove David Geffen Crazy

The record label boss was already a Hollywood legend when he and Cher became a couple. But this 1975 peek inside their lavish union—before she'd leave him for Gregg Allman—absolutely infuriated him. [View in Browser]( [Esquire Sunday Reads]( [The Esquire Story That Drove David Geffen Crazy]( The Story That Drove David Geffen Crazy David Geffen thinks of his L.A. office as windowless. The Spanish arches filled with grainy gold Brooklyn-bathroom glass are not windows. It bothers him, so he is adding a second floor to the Asylum building. Above Geffen’s head is a Ben Shahn lithograph of two hands shaking in a deal. Before he formed Asylum in 1971 all Geffen’s business had been done by handshake and personal relationship. But now it’s very involved and corporate with Warner Communications stock analysts monitoring from New York. Now the dreamers don’t get quite as close and the telephone screamers don’t scream quite as loud. Geffen has just gone through a very bad week in court with the Sonny and Cher divorce. He smokes constantly now; Cher has gained five pounds and has gotten pimples. Cher is very vain, Geffen explains; she won’t go out of the house with a pimple. His mother, who should be calmly ensconced in the Beverly Hills house he bought her when he forced her to quit the brassiere business in Brooklyn, sees David on the cover of the National Star and worries. It’s only because Cher wants to get back her own money that she’s asking $32,000-a-month alimony and paying all the bills at their house, though Sonny made it sound like Geffen was some sort of gigolo living off Cher. [Read the Full Story]( [MORE FROM ESQUIRE]( [ Will Ferrell Has No Plans to Crash Rihanna's Halftime Show. (Yet.)]( Will Ferrell Has No Plans to Crash Rihanna's Halftime Show. (Yet.) Please allow me to add one item to your things-you've-been-taking-for-granted list, well above the advent of penicillin, but somewhere below deodorant, "Landslide," and German Shepards: Will Ferrell. The man has been making you laugh, often uncontrollably, for nearly 30 years. Applebee's, bunk beds, "Love Me Sexy," cowbell, you're my boy, blue—all of them. So please, when Ferrell shows up on your screen for approximately 60 seconds on Sunday during The Big Game, I humbly ask that you enjoy the heck out of it. Ferrell partnered with GM and Netflix to showcase the former's goal to convert to all-electric vehicles by 2035. The product of their labor? A delightful Super Bowl commercial that imagines Ferrell in your favorite Netflix jams. The spot includes, but certainly is not limited to: Ferrell going full Dusty Bun in Stranger Things, dressing in his regency-era best a la Bridgerton, and passing out in the creepy Squid Game van. To celebrate the occasion, we hopped on the phone with the 55-year-old for a little catch-up. And yes, he's just as full of cheer as when he ran onto a stage at 30 Rock. [Read the Full Story]( [10 Romantic Books That Are Perfect For Your Valentine]( 10 Romantic Books That Are Perfect For Your Valentine If you’ve ever wondered what to get your partner for Valentine's Day, or what romance even means these days, you’re not alone. There are legions of men wondering: should they open doors? Should they pay or split the bill? What about gifting flowers, candy, and stuffed bears? Sweet or cliche? For some, it may seem like the most romantic day of the year is primed with unexpected land mines. If you always find yourself wondering how to pleasantly surprise your partner on Valentine’s Day, we may have finally cracked the code for you. Turns out, it was right under your nose this whole time. Gifting a romantic book— better yet, reading it yourself and then gifting it—will certainly tug on your partner’s heart strings. Where else does the perfect aspirational love live but in the pages of a passionately drawn novel? According to statistics gathered by WordsRated in 2022, romance books are the biggest genre of fiction, drawing in over $1.44 billion in sales revenue. Obviously, millions of people love to buy romance books, and millions of people can’t be wrong. If you’re no good with words, look for the perfect book to say what you can’t. Romance is a language, an art, and a practice, and there’s no better place to learn it than in the between the covers of a good book. Crack open one of these beloved tales of passion before you gift-wrap it, and you might even learn a thing or two about what could make your significant other’s heart pound and palms sweat. [Read the Full Story]( [Inside Henry's Heartbreaking Decision In The Last of Us Episode 5]( Inside Henry's Heartbreaking Decision In The Last of Us Episode 5 Another week, another millions of hearts ripped apart by The Last of Us. While most of us are still recovering from the end of Bill and Frank's love story, Episode Five of The Last of Us said: Hold my bottle of Beaujolais Villages wine! This Friday night, we caught up with the motley crew of Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam as they try to escape Kansas City—and the band of hunters, led by Kathleen, who are out to get them. After traversing the town's sewer system for much longer than we were comfortable with, the gang ends up in a standoff with the hunters and roughly 50 to 70 fungus monsters. (Including one big-boy fungus monster!) They actually do manage to escape, but at a price. Sam, Henry's little brother, was infected in the skirmish. He turns overnight. In the morning, little Sam—driven mad by cordyceps—attacks Ellie. One of the most devastating moments in The Last of Us video game follows: Henry shoots Sam to save Ellie, then kills himself, racked with guilt. At the heart of Episode Five is actor Lamar Johnson, who imbues Henry with uncertainty, moral ambiguity, and, ultimately, love. Here, Johnson breaks down Henry's heartbreaking final moments. [Read the Full Story]( [Ron DeSantis Is a Man Of No Qualities]( Ron DeSantis Is a Man Of No Qualities After four years of punishing the people of Florida with actions largely meant to increase his personal power, Governor Ron DeSantis appears to be bringing his corrosive brand of politics to a presidential run. But DeSantis only looks like an even remotely reasonable or centrist candidate when viewed in a line-up between his gubernatorial predecessor Rick Scott and ex-U.S. catastrophe Donald Trump. That he sits comfortably between the two, accompanied by a host of extremists, should be cause for alarm, not suggestions that he is anything other than an authoritarian. While the slogan “Make America Florida” gains traction on bumper stickers and pundits debate DeSantis’ electability, DeSantis continues to plunge ahead with culture wars in schools that sunder communities, gaslight Floridians about the environment, and implement anti-scientific policies across life-or-death situations. But there is still—even after three years of a badly mishandled pandemic—nothing to apologize for, nothing to be accountable for, and nothing to be transparent about, to anyone. [Read the Full Story]( [Pamela Anderson: What I've Learned]( The 30 Best Football Movies Ever Made While baseball might be the American pastime, there's nothing more uniquely American than football. Consider this: Men in tights and giant pads crash into each other, all while we cheer along in the stands (or, more likely, at home) and stuff our faces full of snacks and beer. And in the cold! Naturally, Hollywood has taken notice and made many, many films about the sport. You have the zany, Adam Sandler comedies, like The Waterboy. Plus, on the other end, there are the football dramas that will legitimately make you cry, like Friday Night Lights. Somewhere in between lives Air Bud: Golden Receiver, which is an iconic entry in the great canon of sports films, damnit. From empowering and crowd-pleasing films that will have you jumping out of your seat and cheering, to behind-the-scenes looks at the business and drama surrounding the sport, here are the best football movies ever made. [Read the Full Story]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019